My dad was the offspring of idiots, sad to say.
My mom grew in a Pentecostal household. Her mom was a fancy hat wearing church lady to a T. Every Wednesday and Sunday, there front in center. The first thing she did every morning was read her Bible. She was quite a nice, loving sassy grandmother. Despite the fact that many of her kids (my mom included) became disillusioned with the church, she remained loving, and made an earnest effort to be in all of our lives. Not one day passed when Grammy would call my mom and her grandkids, reminding us that no matter what we said or did, she'd always love us. Even when my mom became a witness, that didn't deter her from keeping a relationship with her even if my mom more or less avoided her.
My dad is quite a different story. He was raised in 'the truth'. At first his mother became a witness, then persuaded his father. To my understanding, my grandfather wasn't always the nicest. He was incredibly strict and corporate punishment was the norm (he once shoved his daughter down a flight of stairs because he caught her kissing a boy). My father and grandfather had a tumultuous relationship due to my father's heavy resistance to authority. Finally, my grandfather violently confronted my dad, and said he can either go to the meetings, or get out. My father left his house and became homeless (this was in '80 when shunning became heavily enforced).
Fast forward to 2007, when we move close to my grandparents. My dad and grandfather hadn't spoken much in those 27 years. My dad always had a chip on his shoulder about that, thinking his father hated him and thought he was a failure. My mother was heavily disillusioned with church and had to adjust to not working anymore. By this time, my grandfather developed into a softer, gentler man and he was quite kind to his grandkids. He introduced us to his JW congregation and we loved all the nice people. Still, he'd make snide comments to my dad I didn't quite understand, like "The Prodigal Son finally returns, ready to make something of your life?" My mom liked that JW has answers she was looking for (like what happens after death), and my dad saw a way to finally get my grandfather's approval. Just as my dad was making progress, my grandfather died. My father was devastated and thought his father died thinking he was a 'Prodigal Son'. Then the witnesses taught him he'd see his father again in the new system, beaming with joy his son accepted the truth. The rest was history...
So I wouldn't call them idiots, is just say they were vulnerable (my mom wanted to serve God, my dad wanted the love and admiration of his father).
